'India and Pakistan are going to live very nicely together,' says Trump in Egypt

US President Donald Trump on Monday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and expressed hope that both India and Pakistan "are going to live very nicely together".

 

He made the remarks while speaking at the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh, where Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also present.

 

"India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top, and he has done a fantastic job. I think that Pakistan and India are going to live very nicely together," Trump said.

 

Trump also praised Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir as he invited the Pakistan PM to address the gathering.

 

The US President's remarks came against the backdrop of heightened tension between New Delhi and Islamabad following a brief but intense military confrontation between the two countries in May.

 

Trump has claimed several times in the past few months that he brokered a peace between India and Pakistan, even though India has rejected the role of any third party.

 

"I settled a few of the wars just based on tariffs. For example, between India and Pakistan, I said, if you guys want to fight a war and you have nuclear weapons. I am going to put big tariffs on you both, like 100 per cent, 150 per cent, and 200 per cent," he had said while talking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Israel on Sunday.

 

Sharif, in his address, praised Trump's efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.

 

"Pakistan had nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding (and) extraordinary contributions to first stop the war between India and Pakistan and then achieve a ceasefire along with his very wonderful team," he said.

Middle East